Whether it is a negligent vacationing under the false name of Ernest, escaping the tedious trivialities of domestic life by Bunburying, or simply moments of "mental abstraction" that lead to life altering mistakes, all the characters in The Importance of Being Earnest have potentially devastating secrets of some kind. Coping with the treacherous battlegrounds of the Victorian society has lead each of them to evolve into complex individuals with equally confusing lives, to the point where the lines of reality and unreality blur together into a cacophonous, variegated blur of deceit and absence of truth. No longer is it necessary to judge characters by their earnestness, but rather to the degree in which they thrive upon deception.
For instance, Algernon and Jack both adapt their lives to the ideology of the Bunburyist. However, Jack uses his imaginary brother as a method of attaining the life of hedonistic asceticism that he feels he has been denied. On the other hand, Algernon only plays into the preconceptions of others in pursuit of a woman he feels an outlying attraction to. This, paired with his charming, "Wilde-esque" wit and dashing good looks, make him a more likely protagonist than Jack. Ironically, the inventor of "Ernest" appears to be the least earnest of the play, not necessarily because of his actions (which are reciprocal of Algernon's), but rather because he has the moral foundation to recognize that the life of his concoction is wrong.
In the end, it seems clear that the pressures and stress of moral and societal conventions during the Victorian Era lead the character's to their paths of deceit. In firm recognition that morality does not always lead to happiness, they have brought themselves to paradoxical zeniths of unreality and, when reality returns, cataclysmic lows. Whatever their social standing, occupation, moral foundation or marital status, they all respect and understand the importance of not being earnest.
Thursday, January 27, 2011
Sunday, January 9, 2011
Animal Farm Project Evaluation
Ragan
Project: Photo
I believe that Ragan successfully portrayed the prominent themes of the novel through her photograph. Besides a pleasing composition, it offers details that effectively communicate her perspective on the book. For instance, the way the pig bows to the photograph parallels their eventual succumbing to the luxuries and corruption of human power. It also shows Napoleon's intimate similarity to the Russian tyrant, Stalin. Furthermore, since the windmill was such a powerful symbol, I appreciated how she managed to artistically include it as well. Encore!
Levi
Project: Movie
Levi's project is (as always) a cerebral achievement that inspires its viewers to sip a spot of tea and discuss the irony of equality, as well as inner relationships in the proverbial "crapper". Besides being well made, it covered practically all the nuances of the novel in one dryly humorous conversation. As a project it demonstrated his understanding of the book itself, as an video it was entertaining and engaging. Bravo!
Leanna
Project: Poster
Leanna's poster was very well done and translated the relationship between Napoleon and Stalin extremely well. I appreciated her use of both photos and art to engage the viewer and draw them in to her project. Clearly she appreciated the parallels between Animal Farm and the Russian Revolution as one of the strong themes of the novel. Bravo!
Connor F.
Project: Comic Strip
By far one of the best projects I have seen thus far, Connor's comic strip showed his understanding of the novel as well as his artistic ability! From a detailed template, to stunning pictures, I really appreciated the obvious time he had invested on his project. Well done Connor, and I look forward to seeing more of your work in the future!
Daniel
Project: Poster
Daniel did a very good job on his poster. The only one I have seen to actually apply cut and paste heads on the animals, I believe he made it easy and accessible for people even if they have not studied the novel. I appreciated his use of dynamic color to intrigue his audience. Well done!
Kelsey
Project: Comic Strip
I think Kelsey did a wonderful job creating a "comic strip" version of the relentless idiocy that is the saga of the windmill. I think she correctly informed her viewer on its monotony and repetition, while maintaining a fun and colorful style that carried her audience from strip to strip. She clearly enjoyed the novel and had fun creating her project. Encore!
Daniel M
Project: Poster
Perhaps one of the most polished projects of our class, Daniel did a wonderful job presenting the general themes of the novel. His cartoon animations were fun and interactively portrayed each element that surfaced throughout the book. I enjoyed his use of template as well, which satisfyingly presented his work. Well done!
Emily
Project: Comic Strip
Emily did a wonderful job on her project! Her drawings were both fun and amusing, while still intelligently presenting the parallels between the Russian Revolution and Animal Farm in a way I have not seen before. I look forward to seeing more of her work, which shows understanding of the concepts of the novel as well as her enjoyment of producing a creative interpretation of its themes. Bravo!
Sidney
Project: Poem
Sidney's poem did a fine job of both presenting the themes of the novel and its plot. I appreciated that she chose to create a poem, as that seemed to be a minority in our class. Her writing shows both conceptual understanding as well as comprehension of the provided assignment! Well done!
Emma
Project: Movie
Emma's movie was fun and engaging. She wisely chose to make a trailer, which was a more direct way of attacking all the individual themes of the story. I appreciated her dynamic and artistic use of medium to more professionally show her comprehension. Bravo!
Andrea
Project: Strip/Movie
I don't want to compare myself to other students in my class. I believe English is not only about mastering and harnessing linguistic skills and capability, but also about presenting a unique and individual perspective. We all have different ways of doing this, some of which are more widely appreciated than others. I believe my project was not my best work, and not my worst either. While it might not have had the visual charm of some of my peer's work, it wasn't an eyesore either. I strongly believe individual improvement begins with looking objectively at oneself, not critically at others.
Project: Photo
I believe that Ragan successfully portrayed the prominent themes of the novel through her photograph. Besides a pleasing composition, it offers details that effectively communicate her perspective on the book. For instance, the way the pig bows to the photograph parallels their eventual succumbing to the luxuries and corruption of human power. It also shows Napoleon's intimate similarity to the Russian tyrant, Stalin. Furthermore, since the windmill was such a powerful symbol, I appreciated how she managed to artistically include it as well. Encore!
Levi
Project: Movie
Levi's project is (as always) a cerebral achievement that inspires its viewers to sip a spot of tea and discuss the irony of equality, as well as inner relationships in the proverbial "crapper". Besides being well made, it covered practically all the nuances of the novel in one dryly humorous conversation. As a project it demonstrated his understanding of the book itself, as an video it was entertaining and engaging. Bravo!
Leanna
Project: Poster
Leanna's poster was very well done and translated the relationship between Napoleon and Stalin extremely well. I appreciated her use of both photos and art to engage the viewer and draw them in to her project. Clearly she appreciated the parallels between Animal Farm and the Russian Revolution as one of the strong themes of the novel. Bravo!
Connor F.
Project: Comic Strip
By far one of the best projects I have seen thus far, Connor's comic strip showed his understanding of the novel as well as his artistic ability! From a detailed template, to stunning pictures, I really appreciated the obvious time he had invested on his project. Well done Connor, and I look forward to seeing more of your work in the future!
Daniel
Project: Poster
Daniel did a very good job on his poster. The only one I have seen to actually apply cut and paste heads on the animals, I believe he made it easy and accessible for people even if they have not studied the novel. I appreciated his use of dynamic color to intrigue his audience. Well done!
Kelsey
Project: Comic Strip
I think Kelsey did a wonderful job creating a "comic strip" version of the relentless idiocy that is the saga of the windmill. I think she correctly informed her viewer on its monotony and repetition, while maintaining a fun and colorful style that carried her audience from strip to strip. She clearly enjoyed the novel and had fun creating her project. Encore!
Daniel M
Project: Poster
Perhaps one of the most polished projects of our class, Daniel did a wonderful job presenting the general themes of the novel. His cartoon animations were fun and interactively portrayed each element that surfaced throughout the book. I enjoyed his use of template as well, which satisfyingly presented his work. Well done!
Emily
Project: Comic Strip
Emily did a wonderful job on her project! Her drawings were both fun and amusing, while still intelligently presenting the parallels between the Russian Revolution and Animal Farm in a way I have not seen before. I look forward to seeing more of her work, which shows understanding of the concepts of the novel as well as her enjoyment of producing a creative interpretation of its themes. Bravo!
Sidney
Project: Poem
Sidney's poem did a fine job of both presenting the themes of the novel and its plot. I appreciated that she chose to create a poem, as that seemed to be a minority in our class. Her writing shows both conceptual understanding as well as comprehension of the provided assignment! Well done!
Emma
Project: Movie
Emma's movie was fun and engaging. She wisely chose to make a trailer, which was a more direct way of attacking all the individual themes of the story. I appreciated her dynamic and artistic use of medium to more professionally show her comprehension. Bravo!
Andrea
Project: Strip/Movie
I don't want to compare myself to other students in my class. I believe English is not only about mastering and harnessing linguistic skills and capability, but also about presenting a unique and individual perspective. We all have different ways of doing this, some of which are more widely appreciated than others. I believe my project was not my best work, and not my worst either. While it might not have had the visual charm of some of my peer's work, it wasn't an eyesore either. I strongly believe individual improvement begins with looking objectively at oneself, not critically at others.
Monday, January 3, 2011
Animal Farm Project
This is only a part of my project, over the next day I will be uploading two videos.
Video 1
"The life of an animal is misery and slavery, that is the plain truth".
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